Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each security classification have been submitted to the Iraq Inquiry by his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether any  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information in electronic format sought from his Department by the Iraq Inquiry have not been disclosed owing to the Government's obligations to foreign governments or international bodies; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of the  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification requested by the Iraq Inquiry have been provided to it by his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification the Iraq Inquiry has requested from his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Angela E. Smith) on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 840-41W.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format by the Law Officers Departments of each security classification have been submitted to the Iraq Inquiry; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether any  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information in electronic format sought from the Law Officers' Departments by the Iraq Inquiry have not been disclosed owing to the Government's obligations to foreign governments or international bodies; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of the  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification requested by the Iraq Inquiry have been provided to it by the Law Officers' Departments; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other types of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification the Iraq Inquiry has requested from the Law Officers' Departments; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Angela E. Smith) on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 840-41W.

Departmental Sick Leave

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days sickness absence were taken by staff in his Department and its agencies in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of such absence.

Phil Hope: The Department gives managing sickness absence the importance it deserves. Our policy 'Managing Sickness Absence-promoting attendance at work' promotes a positive approach to managing and responding to sickness absence.
	Human Resources routinely make contact with line managers and members of staff at agreed absence trigger points, advising on the policy and support available to maximise attendance and support health and well-being at work. This can include occupational health referrals, return to work interviews, making use of the employee assistance programme, and consideration of reasonable adjustments to the role or physical environment.
	Human Resources provide continued support to managers and members of staff in maintaining acceptable attendance levels and advising on process for formal action where acceptable attendance levels cannot be sustained.
	In December 2008, the Department published its policy on health and well-being for all its staff. One of the aims of the policy is to improve attendance at work.
	A new more proactive occupational health service is being tendered now which will also have an impact on attendance at work.
	The number of days of sickness absence taken by staff in the core Department in each of the last 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			   Total number of sickness absence days 
			 December 2008 1,694 
			 January 2009 1,552 
			 February 2009 1,297 
			 March 2009 1,385 
			 April 2009 1,290 
			 May 2009 1,361 
			 June 2009 1,355 
			 July 2009 1,647 
			 August 2009 1,230 
			 September 2009 1,319 
			 October 2009 1,583 
			 November 2009 1,704 
		
	
	Total estimated cost of absence for period was £2,782,214. In future this information for the core Department will be published on its website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm
	The number of days of sick leave taken by staff in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MNRA) in each of the last 12 months are presented as follows. Please note that MHRA sickness figures run one month behind so the year to date figures are as follows:
	
		
			   Total number of sickness absence days 
			 November 2008 692 
			 December 2008 796 
			 January 2009 885 
			 February 2009 794 
			 March 2009 616 
			 April 2009 785 
			 May 2009 698 
			 June 2009 635 
			 July 2009 815 
			 August 2009 998 
			 September 2009 831 
			 October 2009 831 
		
	
	Total cost of absence in MHRA for the period was £1,254,772.94.
	The number of days of sick leave taken by staff in the NHS Procurement and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) in each of the last 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			   Total number of sickness absence days 
			 December 2008 209.5 
			 January 2009 149 
			 February 2009 117.5 
			 March 2009 116.5 
			 April 2009 89 
			 May 2009 82.5 
			 June 2009 79.5 
			 July 2009 119 
			 August 2009 103.5 
			 September 2009 71.5 
			 October 2009 102 
			 November 2009 46 
		
	
	For the period December 2008 to November 2009 the estimated total cost of sickness absence to NHS PASA was £177,815.

Preventive Medicine

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to encourage people to take up preventative health services.

Gillian Merron: 'High Quality for All: NHS Next Stage Review Final Report' (2008) committed primary care trusts to work in partnership with local authorities to commission comprehensive well-being and prevention services particularly covering obesity, alcohol harm, drug addiction, smoking, sexual health and mental health. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The Department has also sponsored guidance to improve commissioning of preventative services which was published by the Royal Society of Public Health in December 2009, and this is part of a programme of work to improve commissioning of health and well-being services.
	Community pharmacies already play a key role providing local services such as stopping smoking, weight management and supporting drug misusers. A range of other initiatives and approaches are also being introduced to encourage the take up of preventative services and to offer support, such as the Lets Get Moving initiative which screens for physical inactivity. Other screening programmes include those for breast, cervical and bowel cancer.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many planned visits by Ministers in her Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Jim Knight: The information that you have requested could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Unemployment: Young People

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people under 25 years old were not in employment, education or training in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2007 and  (c) during 2008-09 in (i) Norwich North constituency and (ii) each region.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the precise format requested. The Labour Force Survey does not provide consistent information on participation in part time education and training prior to the year 2000. Information on participation in full time education is available on a consistent basis from 1992 onwards. The following table provides the number and proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in employment or full time education. This definition is consistent with table 14 of the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  16 to 24-year-olds not in employment or full time education( 1) 
			   1997  2007  2008  2009 
			   Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage)  Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage)  Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage)  Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage) 
			 North East 60 21.6 63 19.3 78 23.8 85 25.8 
			 North West 149 20.7 177 20.7 185 21.4 209 24.3 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 110 20.4 126 18.7 140 20.6 145 21.8 
			 East Midlands 70 15.9 95 17.7 97 17.8 106 19.8 
			 West Midlands 117 20.7 146 22.5 149 22.8 154 23.5 
			 East of England 80 15.1 108 17.7 104 16.8 108 17.3 
			 London 174 20.7 180 20.0 183 20.0 199 20.4 
			 South East 113 14.0 153 16.7 155 16.7 179 19.2 
			 South West 70 14.5 81 14.0 91 15.6 99 17.3 
			 Wales 60 19.8 77 21.2 71 19.4 80 21.9 
			 Scotland 103 18.3 106 17.5 97 15.9 123 20.0 
			 Northern Ireland 47 22.2 36 15.6 43 18.5 50 21.5 
			 UK 1,155 18.4 1,348 18.6 1,392 19.0 1,536 20.9 
			 (1) Latest available data are for July-September 2009, data are not seasonally adjusted so the table includes data for July-September in each year.  Source: Labour Force Survey (individual datasets), National Statistics. 
		
	
	Data at parliamentary constituency area level is only available from the Annual Population Survey from 2004 onwards. The sample sizes for Norwich North constituency are not sufficient to provide reliable estimates.

Gambling Commission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to reduce the size and cost of the Gambling Commission since the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department's current funding agreement with Gambling Commission sets a target of achieving 3 per cent. value for money efficiency savings, year on year, over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. In 2007-08 the Commission's total expenditure was £ 16.699 million. This fell to £ 15.291 million in 2008-09. The Commission had a maximum of 300 employees that figure has reduced to 221. While it is right that the Commission continues to drive efficiencies, I am sure that the hon. Member would agree that the Commission must have adequate resources to discharge its responsibilities effectively.

Gambling Commission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what simplification measures have been introduced by the Gambling Commission since the Hampton Review;
	(2)  what steps have been taken by the Gambling Commission in response to the concerns raised by the Hampton Review on the commission's operations; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Hampton Implementation Review of the Gambling Commission in 2009 suggested that, if the Commission's plans were implemented, it would be in a strong position to demonstrate the Hampton principles throughout its work.
	The Commission's response to the review is available on their website. The implementation of those plans is a key programme in the Commission's current business plan and they are making good progress on these measures. I will ask the chief executive of the Gambling Commission to write to you with further details of how it is responding to specific points raised in the Hampton Review. Copies of this letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Commission has undertaken a number of simplification measures and these, together with future plans, are set out in a Gambling Commission annex to my Department's 2009 Simplification Plan which can be found on the DCMS website here:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/6520.aspx

Tourism: Visas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Home Office on the effect on the tourism industry of the cost of visas.

Margaret Hodge: The Government strives to strike the right balance between maintaining the most secure and effective border controls in the world, and ensuring that the visa fees structure does not inhibit the UK's ability to attract those migrants and visitors that make a valued contribution. The Home Office reviews fees and charges annually to reflect changes to operating costs and to its strategic approach. Fees are set following a full discussion with departments, including DCMS.
	As part of that process, my officials attend regular meetings of the cross-Whitehall Fees Committee, chaired by the Home Office, which last met in December. The Minister for Identity at the Home Office and I also met in December to discuss the
	impact of visa processes on UK tourism. This followed our discussion at a meeting of the ministerial group on tourism in November. We will continue to work together to ensure a proper balance between effective border controls and a vibrant visitor economy.